Eccentric-tip hooked needle for hosiery linking machines

ABSTRACT

An eccentric-tip hooked needle for hosiery linking machines is disclosed, the improvement consisting in that the generating lines of the hook surface are inclined through an angle of from zero to fortyfive degrees with respect to the plane containing both the longitudinal axis of symmetry of the needle shank and the eccentric tip of the needle, said generating lines lying on planes which are perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of symmetry of the needle shank. The result is that it becomes possible, on a hosiery linking machine, to form a chainstitch without imparting an axial partial rotary reciprocation to the needle bar, that which greatly simplifies the mechanisms of a linking machine.

United States Patent [1 1 Conti I 1 Dec.2, 1975 ECCENTRlC-TIP HOOKED NEEDLE FOR HOSIERY LINKING MACHINES [76] Inventor: Cesare L. Conti, Via Varese 18,

20121 Milan, Italy 221 Filed: Feb. 4,1974

21 Appl. No.: 435,887

Primary Examiner-Werner H. Schroeder Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Frank .1. Jordan [57] ABSTRACT An eccentric-tip hooked needle for hosiery linking machines is disclosed, the improvement consisting in that the generating lines of the hook surface are inclined through an angle of from zero to fortyfive degrees with respect to the plane containing both the longitudinal axis of symmetry of the needle shank and the eccentric tip of the needle, said generating lines lying on planes which are perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of symmetry of the needle shank. The result is that it becomes possible, on a hosiery linking machine, to form a c'hain's'titch without imparting an axial partial rotary reciprocation to the needle bar, that which greatly simplifies the mechanisms of a linking machine.

1 Claim, 9 Drawing Figures US. Patent Dec. 2, 1975' S:h eet 2 0f2 3,922,982 I ECCENTRlC-TIP HOOKED NEEDLE FOR I-IOSIERY LINKING MACHINES DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an eccentric-tip hooked needle for hosiery linking machines.

It is known from the prior art that the use of a conventional hooked needle in a hosiery linking machine requires that the needle-bar of the machine may receive not only a rectilinear radial reciprocation movement for bringing the needle towards and away of the impaling pin dial, but also an axial movement of partial rotational reciprocation. With such an arrangement, as disclosed and claimed in the Italian Pat. Specification No. 757,021, advantages were doubless achieved as far as the operational speed of the machine was concerned. An additional improvement in the linking technology was achieved with the Italian Pat. No. 804,750 both the above cited patents being in the name of the Applicant hereof.

The adoption of the technical teachings of the above cited patents, however, involved the necessity of providing a mechanism for impressing to the needle bar the above indicated movement of axial partial rotational reciprocation.

The known art also comprises the hooked needles having an eccentric tip, which are characterized in that the generating lines of the hook surface, that is that array of straight lines which define the hollow space of th hook, are perpendicular to the plane which contains the longitudinal symmetry axis of the needle shank and the (eccentric) tip of the same needle.

It has already been pointed out that a needle of the kind referred to above should, in order that it may make up the linking chainstitch, receive both the movements, that is, the rectilinear reciprocation and the axial partial rotary reciprocation about the needle axis, otherwise the loading of a new thread in the hook and the discharge of the old stitch would prove to be impossible to effect.

All these considerations have been comprehensively discussed in the above cited patents, and reference is altogether made thereto without necessity of any repetitions.

The main object of the present invention is to provide an eccentric tip hooked needle of novel conception which makes possible the formation of a chainstitch on a linking machine, hereinafter briefly called hosiery linking machine, without the necessity of impressing to the needle bar the above indicated axial partial rotational reciprocation. The advantage stemming from such a simplification of the machine structure is apparent.

It is thus necessary to create a kind of eccentric-tip hooked needle which, however, has such a configuration as to allow, even while doing away with the axial partial rotational reciprocation of the needle-bar, to achieve all of the advantageous performances wich were obtained, and still are, with the adoption of linking machines made according to the above cited patents.

The eccentric-tip hooked needle according to the present invention is characterized in that the generating lines of the hook surface are inclined through an angle comprised between (zero degrees) and 45 with respect to the plane which contains the longitudinal axis of symmetry of the needle shank and the eccentric tip of the needle, and lie on planes which are perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of symmetry of the needle shank.

Obviously, such an angle can be considered either in the rightward or the leftward direction (clockwise or anticlockwise) according to the direction of the sewing stitch. For example, in the inner needle linking machines, one should use, if the impaling pin dial is rotated in the clockwise direction, a needle, which, so to speak, is left, whereas a right needle should be used in the contrary situation. The invention will be better illustrated in connection with two embodiments of needles as shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein;

FIG. 1 shows a right needle, which is shown, in FIG. la, in cross-sectional view taken along the line 1A--1A.

FIG. 2 shows a left needle, shown in cross-sectional view in FIG. 2a, the section being taken along the line 2A-2A.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the right needle shown in FIGS. 1 and la.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the left needle shown in FIGS. 2 and 2a.

' FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the right needle looking generally in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is an elevational view of the right needle with the hook axis disposed perpendicular to the paper.

FIG. 7 is an elevational view of the left needle looking generally in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 4.

The angles alpha and primed alpha, as respectively shown in FIGS. laand 2a are exactly the angles as formed by the generating lines of the hook surface with the plane which contains both the longitudinal axis of symmetry of the needle shank and the eccentric tip of the same needle. Thus the needle includes a shank 10 having a longitudinal axis of symmetry 12. A tip end portion 14 on the shank 10 is defined by tip walls 16 converging to a tip 18 at the longitudinal end of the needle. A hook on the tip end portion 14 is formed by generally U-shaped wall portions having an entrance hook surface 20 and a return hook surface 22 extending generally transversely of the shank 10 such that the hook thereby has a hook axis 24 extending generally transversely or perpendicular of the shank 10. The tip 18 of the hook is offset or eccentrically disposed relative to the axis of symmetry 12 of the shank. The hook is constructed and arranged such that the hook axis 24 makes an angle of from 0 to 45 with the plane 26 containing the axis of symmetry 12 of the shank and the tip 18.

What is claimed is:

l. A needle for hosiery linking machines and the like comprising a needle shank having a longitudinal axis of symmetry, a tip end portion on said shank defined by tip walls converging to a tip at the longitudinal end of the needle, a hook formed on said tip end portion, said hook being formed by generally U-shaped wall portions having an entrance hook surface and a return hook surface extending generally transversely of said shank whereby said hook is thereby defined as having a hook axis extending generally transversely of said shank, said tip of said tip end portion being eccentrically disposed relative to said axis of symmetry of said shank, said hook being constructed and arranged such that said hook axis makes an angle of from 0 to 45 with the plane containing said axis of symmetry of said shank and said tip. 

1. A needle for hosiery linking machines and the like comprising a needle shank having a longitudinal axis of symmetry, a tip end portion on said shank defined by tip walls converging to a tip at the longitudinal end of the needle, a hook formed on said tip end portion, said hook being formed by generally U-shaped wall portions having an entrance hook surface and a return hook surface extending generally transversely of said shank whereby said hook is thereby defined as having a hook axis extending generally transversely of said shank, said tip of said tip end portion being eccentrically disposed relative to said axis of symmetry of said shank, said hook being constructed and arranged such that said hook axis makes an angle of from 0* to 45* with the plane containing said axis of symmetry of said shank and said tip. 